Stone picking implement



Aug. 13, 1963 Filed Oct. 9, 1961 L. C. DEAVER ETAL STONE PICKING IMPLEMENT 5 Sheets-Sheet l 1963 L. c. DEAVER ETAL 3,100,540

STONE PICKING IMPLEMENT Filed Oct. 9, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 13, 1963 c. DEAVER ETAL STONE PICKING IMPLEMENT 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 9, 1961 United States Patent STONE PICKING IMPLEMENT Lloyd Calvin Deaver and Charles George Deaver, both of Kenaston, Saskatchewan, Canada Filed Oct. 9, 1961, Ser. No. 143,698 2 Claims. (Cl. 171-- -63) This invention relates to stone picking machines, having reference to a fork type machine in which stones picked up by the fork are transferred to a bucket and the bucket dumped to discharge the stones in a pile as required.

In the art to which the invention relates, stone gathering machines more usually have a fork or fingers by which the stones may be dislodged from the ground and carried to a receptacle or bucket and the receptacle dumped at intervals to pile the gathered stones. Such machines are, as a rule, costly to manufacture and require too many Working parts, and in consequence are not readily available, particularly for smaller farms.

The present device is designed to provide a simple, low cost machine for stone picking that embodies the essential elements needed for gathering and dumping the stones, but employs a simplified structure that is effective for the Work required. In this a stone picking fork is rearwardly wheel supported to be tilted backward in discharging the gathered stones from the fork, and with it is associated a dumping bucket with hydraulic means for tilting the fork and bucket, and with the same hydraulic element engageable for the two operations, so that the stones may be finally piled in heaps on the ground.

In the drawings, whereinis illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 1 is a top plan View of a machine in accordance with the present invention, shown with the fork in stone gathering position, and with the hydraulic attachment removed.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the machine with the fork in stone gathering relation to the ground and the bucket in position to receive stones from the fork, illustrated with the bucket broken away in part to show gathered stones in the bucket, and with other parts broken away.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the machine with the fork elevated into position for dumping the bucket, and illustrating the stone dumping position of the bucket, shown with parts broken away and with gathered stones discharging from the bucket.

FIG. 4 is a detail, enlarged perspective view showing the means by which the hydraulic element may be connected for dumping the bucket, illustrated with parts broken away and the dump bar lowered into position for engagement of the hydraulic link.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the machine, illustrated with the bucket in stone receiving position and the fork elevated into position for discharging stones carried thereby into the bucket, shown with parts broken away and with the most forward and rearward positions of the lever arm indicated by dashed lines.

Having reference to the drawings, a frame cross bar 1 (FIG. 1), square in cross section, has attached to the under side of the end portions, as by welding, stub axle shafts 2 on which are rotatable supporting wheels 3.

To the under side of the cross bar 1 is attached an I- beam draw bar 4 with inclined brace bar 5 of angle iron fixed thereto and to the cross bar and forwardly reinforced by a plate 6. To the forward ends of the draw bar and brace bar is attached a tractor hitch, indicated by the numeral 7.

On the cross bar 1 is mounted to turn a shaft 8 in bearings 9 at each end attached to the cross bar, and to this shaft attaches a fork consisting of a series of forwardly extending tubular teeth 10 that have straight body ice portions 11 forming an apron and end portions 12 that are designed for travel flat on the ground with the apron portion inclining upward therefrom when the end portions are on the ground, as in FIGURE 1 for delivery of the gathered stones rearward. The apron portion of the fork is braced by a tubular cross member 13. On each of the end teeth 14 of this series is attached a side guard (FIG. 5) consisting of an upper tubular bar 15 that extends upward at 16 from the rear end portion of the tooth and then forwardly into engagement with the upwardly turned end portion 12 of the tooth. A second tubular bar 17 extends from the upturned portion 16 of the bar 15 into forward attachment to the end portion 12 of the tooth.

To the cross bar 1 attaches channel iron side bars 18 and 19 (FIG. 1) rearwardly extending. These side bars rearwardly carry a shaft 20 rotatable in bearing brackets 21 attached by bolts 22 to the side bars. On the shaft 20 is fixed a bucket 23, and for dumping this bucket a lever arm 24 is attached fixed to a sleeve 25 Welded on the shaft to turn therewith.

For tilting the fork, formed by the stone gathering teeth 10 and the teeth 14 with their guards, an upstanding arm 26 (FIG. 5) is fixed on the cross bar 1 and to this arm is pivoted a link 27 that is the essential connecting element for hydraulically moving the fork and the bucket in discharging stones from them.

To the underside of the cross bar 1 (FIG. 1) is at tached a plate 28, the other end of which attaches to a cross bar 29 attached to the draw bar 4 and is supported by the brace 5. To this plate 28 is attached a lug 30 to which a forked end 31 (FIG. 5) of a hydraulic cylinder 32 pivotall-y engages. A piston rod 33 for the cylinder 32 pivotally attaches by a U coupling 34 :to the link 27.

This link 27 has a notched end 35 engageable with a pin 36 on a dump bar 37 pivoted at 38 .to the lever arm 24 on the bucket carrying shaft 20-.

In the use of the device, for picking up stones the teeth of the fork travel with their forward end sections 12 on or penetrating the soil. When sufficient stones have been gathered on the fork the stones may be dumped by pivoting the fork upwards and discharging the stones rearward into the bucket 23, the fork moving as indicated by the arrow 10' in FIGURE 3. For this the link 27 is pushed rearward by the piston rod 33, as indicated by the arrows 27" (FIG. 5) and 33" (FIG. 3) of the hydraulic element, and when the stones have been discharged into the bucket the hydraulic element returns the fork to its working position shown in FIGURE .2 the piston rod 33 moving as indicated by the arrow 33, and the coupling 34 as indicated by the arrow 34 in FIG- URE 5.

For dumping the bucket 23 to pile the stones on the ground, the lever arm 24 has to be moved rearward, as indicated by the arrow 24 in FIGURE 3, the bucket moving as indicated by the arrow 23, and for this. the dump bar 37 has to be engaged by the link :27, for which a lever 39 (FIG. 3) is provided pivoted on a lug 40 on the rear frame side bar 18, and the dump bar would be raised, as indicated by the arrow 37 in FIGURES 2 and 3, the lever moving as indicated by the arrow 39 in FIGURE 2 when the bar 37 is raised and by the arrow 39 in FIGURE 3 when the bar is pulled down. The lever 39 connects by a spring 41 to a hook 42 attached to an angle plate 43 secured to the side bar 18, and the spring 41 is tensioned to normally hold the lever rearward. The lever 39 is engaged by a hooked arm 44 (FIG. 4) attached on the side bar 18 and normally held by a spring 41 with the bar 37 elevated as in FIGURE 2.

The lever 39 includes a lever arm 45 (FIGS. 2 and 4) fixed thereto having a slotted opening 46 in which the dump bar 37 "is slidingly engaged, and this dump bar is normally held by the lever arm raised out of engagement with the notched end 35 of the link 27. To engage the notched end 35 with the pin 36 of the dump bar 37 a cable or rope 47 is provided attached to the lever arm 45 and extending to the drivers seat of atra'ctor that would be attached to draw the stone picker. To engage the link 27 and dump bar 37 the lever arm 45 is drawn forward by the cable, as indicated by the arrow 45" in FIGURE 3 and the link is pulled up by the hydraulic piston rod 33 until the link 27 is engageable by the pin 36. The angle plate 43 on the end :of the side bar 18 and a corresponding plate on the side bar 19 engage the bucket when the bucket has been upended, as in FIG- URE 3, far enough to dump the stones from it. After the stones are dumped the bucket is returned to its stone receiving position, by drawing back on the link 27 by the hydraulic piston rod 33, this allowing the bucket to gravitate forwardly downward until it comes to rest on stops 49 attached to the frame bar 1 and the spring 41 pulls the lever arm 45 back, as indicated by the arrow 45 in FIGURE 2, and in FIGURE 5. raising the dump bar, as in FIGURE 2. The hooked arm 44 engages the lever 39 when it has been pulled back by the spring. The machine is then in position to gather more stones and deposit them periodically in the bucket until the bucket "has been filled again or a run on the field has been completed and dumping of the bucket is again required. A

element anchored in the frame and connected for raising and lowering the fork between stone gathering and dumpiug positions, and further including a bucket pivotally mounted in the frame .to tilt rearward for dumping stones from the bucket, the improvement which consists in having forward and rear shafts transversely mounted to turn axially in the frame and to which the fork and bucket are respectively fixed to be moved thereby between stone receiving and dumping positions, and means by which the bucket mounting shaft may be connected to the fork mounting shaft for dumping the bucket, said means comprising a link fixed to the fork mounting shaft, a lever arm fixed to the bucket mounting shaft, a dump bar pivotally attached at one end to the lever arm, and means pivotally attaching the other end of the dump bar to the link on the fork mounting shaft detachable therefrom.

2. In a stone picking machine as set out in claim 1, means for effecting engagement and disengagement of the dump bar with the link, said means comprising a pin on the forward end portion of the dump bar, the link having a slotted opening on its rear side engageable with the pin, and means for raising and lowering the dump bar to move it in and out of position for the pin thereon to engage the slotted opening in the link, .said means including a lever pivoted on the frame, a lever arm fixed upstanding on the lever, said arm having :a slotted opening in which the dump bar is engaged to slide vertically, and spring means normally holding said lever with the dump bar raised thereby out of position to engage the pin on the dump bar in the slot of the link."

Bestland et a1. Mar, 20, 1956 Jacobs Apr. 18, 1961 

1. IN A STONE PICKING MACHINE INCLUDING A WHEEL SUPPORTED FRAME AND A STONE GATHERING FORK AND A HYDRAULIC ELEMENT ANCHORED IN THE FRAME AND CONNECTED FOR RAISING AND LOWERING THE FORK BETWEEN STONE GATHERING AND DUMPING POSITIONS, AND FURTHER INCLUDING A BUCKET PIVOTALLY MOUNTED IN THE FRAME TO TILT REARWARD FOR DUMPING STONES FROM THE BUCKET, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH CONSISTS IN HAVING FORWARD AND REAR SHAFTS TRANSVERSELY MOUNTED TO TURN AXIALLY IN THE FRAME AND TO WHICH THE FORK AND BUCKET ARE RESPECTIVELY FIXED TO BE MOVED THEREBY BETWEEN STONE RE- 